Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, who started his international career in 2000, will stand in a record 129th Test match when Australia take on New Zealand in the first Test in Perth on Thursday.
Rain and bad light did not allow full play on any of the previous four days since Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat but Pakistan's Abid became the only male cricketer to hit a century on his debut in both the Test and ODIs.
India will be out to cut Australia's lead at the top of the ICC Test Championship table in the three-Test series against Pakistan.
"It has been an honour to represent Pakistan in the pinnacle and traditional format of the game. I, however, have decided to move away from the longer version so I can concentrate on white ball cricket."
Former pacer Venkatesh Prasad feels that a high-on-resources India has got all bases covered to get past a high-on-confidence New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final, starting in Southampton from June 18.
At loggerheads with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on the testing of Indian cricketers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, discussed the matter with Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Australia will play their first Test series in Sri Lanka in more than five years, with a three-match series beginning on July 26 in Kandy. The Australians will embark on a two-month tour of the island nation from July 11, playing three Tests, five ODIs and two T20 Internationals. Steve Smith's side leapfrogged India in February to finish the latest 12-month period in first spot on the ICC Test Championship table, while Sri Lanka have dropped to seventh place after a disappointing year following the retirements of legendary batting duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. Only three members of the Australian side that beat the Black Caps in their most recent Test series - Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle and Usman Khawaja - have experienced Test cricket in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief Shammi Silva said that his team felt stifled by the strict security arrangements during their recently-concluded limited overs tour of Pakistan.
India thrashed West Indies by 318 runs in their inaugural World Test Championship encounter but at the onset, there was a debate on the omission of senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar termed his exclusion as "astonishing".
The film to be produced under Daggubati's banner Suresh Productions, will see Vijay Sethupathi portray the role of Sri Lankan spin legend.
Ishant Sharma will follow the footsteps of his teammate Cheteshwar Pujara as he is set to play English county side Sussex in five first-class and eight List A games.
India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday officially inked his deal with top English county side Surrey in his bid to prepare for the tour of England, starting in July.
Sarfraz Ahmed will continue as Pakistan captain at the World Cup in May despite serving a suspension for breaching the anti-racism code, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani said on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who got married this week, received a warm welcome from an unusually large crowd at the Glenn McGrath Oval and looked his usual twitchy self at the crease as he rattled off a half century in 62 balls.
Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who was promoted in the first two ODIs against West Indies, has admitted that batting at the top of the order makes her "feel good" and gives a different kind of confidence altogether. Sharma was promoted to the top-order in both the matches of the ongoing one-day series and she responded with responsible contributions.
England women scripted a sensational recovery from a difficult position to register a consolation two-wicket win in the third and final ODI to prevent hosts India from completing a whitewash in the three-match series.
2021 has a lot to offer for sports lovers with the Tokyo Olympics topping the list.
Dhoni's future has been widely speculated ever since India lost to New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal on July 9
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes the BCCI should behave like a statesman amid the coronavirus crisis and he would have a lot more respect for the Indian cricket board if the national team tours Australia later this year. Gambhir was reacting to BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal's statement that if required, the Indian team could go into quarantine upon their arrival Down Under for the scheduled tour in the Australian summer.
If India goes on to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship title, it could prove to be the watershed moment for the revival of the longest format just like the 2007 World T20 triumph did for the popularity of the shortest format, said Cheteshwar Pujara.
Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj stressed on the need to bring focus back on cricket after hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons following a controversial ending to their World T20 campaign.
Two-time champions India begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on June 5.
The 50-year-old Englishman, who had served as batting coach of Sri Lanka cricket team, will step in the shoes of Neil McKenzie, who stepped down last August citing family reasons.
At an event to announce ICC's partnership with MRF Tyres ahead of the World Twenty20 Championships in India between March and April, Tendulkar spoke about how the format has revolutionised the game. "T20 has changed the dynamics of cricket, the way it is played. For example, nobody thought that batters could play reverse sweeps off fast bowlers to short third-man stands. "It has changed cricket big time," Tendulkar said at the launch of the four-year partnership. "Spectators also enjoy watching T20. I believe it is a lighter format for someone who is not familiar with the game. It is the right dosage of cricket and excitement.
Veda Krishnamurthy hit a strokeful fifty before left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad returned with impressive figures of 4-34 as Indian women defeated West Indies women by 15 runs in the third ODI to complete a 3-0 series whitewash, in Mulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani said that the Sri Lankan delegation will visit the grounds and hotels where the teams will stay in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad besides meeting the board, police and security officials.
CSA on Friday said that Marco Jansen has replaced Ottniel Baartman, who has been ruled out "due to medical reasons of a separate nature.".
Without Shakib Bangladesh will lack the experience of as many as 151 T20Is when they begin the three-match series in Delhi on Sunday.
Dhoni would be the centre of discussion amid speculation that the Jharkhand player is contemplating retirement even though he hasn't spoken about it till now.
Gilchrist made the comments after the IPL governing council proposed to have a dedicated "no-ball" umpire to reduce the number of howlers in the lucrative league.
Mithali Raj will come out with her autobiography next year which will provide a candid and revealing look into her personal and sporting life.
Penpix on the Ireland team for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
India also earned two additional points as the match is a part of the ICC Women's Championship.
Captain Virat Kohli's huge workload will come up for discussion while Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to make a comeback when the selectors announce the India squad for T20 and Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka respectively.
England are the favourites, but India's tried-and-tested squad are in the hunt in the Champions Trophy.
Maxwell closer to return, trains with Victoria
'Good performance in any format is good because it is confidence.' 'The striking of the ball, when it hits the bat and creates that sound that to me is confidence.' 'So, that sound will give a lot of confidence and I feel if you are confident in any format that is what matters.'
Senior spinner Saeed Ajmal has said that he is ready to retire from international cricket if the Pakistan cricket authorities tell him clearly he is no longer a part of their plans.
Outplayed in the ODIs, a faltering India will look to get the balance right as they eye redemption in a three-match Twenty20 series against Australia starting in Adelaide on Tuesday which also kicks off their build-up for the World T20 Championships in March-April.
